The International Resource Panel’s Working Group on Global Metal Flows has since its establishment published four* out of a planned series of six reports. These four reports have looked at various aspects of sustainable metals management, including metal stocks in society, metal recycling rates and opportunities for its increase, and the various environmental challenges associated with metals extraction and use. In addition to these reports, a working paper on long-term estimates of geological stocks of metals has been published, where some usable estimates are available. The knowledge contained in the four reports and the working paper provides a comprehensive overview of a variety of policy-relevant findings and opportunities for policy-makers to take into consideration towards the development of policies and regulations aimed at promoting sustainable metals management from a life cycle perspective.

The E-Book: International Resource Panel Work on Global Metal Flows includes all four of the IRP’s publications to date on metals in a WinZip format. The introduction summarizes the knowledge contained in these reports while making use of cross-references to the reports wherever possible, in order to allow the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the topic at hand. Much more extensive information and citations to the relevant literature are available within the reports themselves.